Why MYSTERIES? Because that is the genre I read. Why PARADISE? Because that is where I live.
Among other things, this blog, the result of a 2008 New Year's resolution, will act as a record of books that I've read, and random thoughts.

The third crime novel from international
bestseller Yrsa Sigurdardottir, ASHES TO DUST is tense, taut and
terrifying - not to be missed for fans of Nordic Noir.

Thora
peered at the floor, but couldn't see anything that could have
frightened Markus that much, only three mounds of dust. She moved the
light of her torch over them. It took her some time to realize what she
was seeing-- and then it was all she could do not to let the torch slip
from her hand. 'Good God,' she said. She ran the light over the three
faces, one after another. Sunken cheeks, empty eye-sockets, gaping
mouths; they reminded her of photographs of mummies she'd once seen in
National Geographic. 'Who are these people?'

'I don't know,' said Markus . . .

Bodies are discovered in one of the excavated houses at a volcanic tourist attraction dubbed 'The Pompeii of the North'.
Markus
Magnusson, who was only a teenager when the volcano erupted, falls
under suspicion and hires attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir to defend him -
but when his childhood sweetheart is murdered his case starts to look
more difficult, and the locals seem oddly reluctant to back him up . . .

My take

This novel is #3 in the author's Thóra Gudmundsdóttir series and so I caused myself a bit of confusion because I had read the latest two. I always advise readers to tackle a series in order of publication if at all possible and in this case, things have moved on in Thora's life by the later two novels (so I had memories of events that hadn't yet happened).

The historic element of the story is based around a volcanic eruption which began on the eastern side of Heimaey in the Westman Islands on 23 January 1973 and resulted in the evacuation of the island with some houses buried by lava and others by ash. More information on Wikipedia.
Now, over three decades later, archaeologists are excavating some of the houses and Thora's client Markus
Magnusson wants to retrieve a box from the basement of his parent's house. The subsequent discoveryof three long dead bodies and a box containing the head of another is totally unexpected.

Thora's investigation is made more complicated by the bizarre murder of a woman Marcus was once in love with, and complications with a rape case.

The whole story is indeed complicated and very noir, but I'm happy to report that the author gave me just enough hints so I was able to piece the chain of events together just before Thora managed to,